Phenolic resin and process of making the same



Patented. Feb- 3, 1925 v uNrrEe 'sTATEs 1,524,995 PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE A. NASH, OCE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BAKELITE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PHENOLIC nnsm AND rnocnss or MAKING THE SAME.

14' 0 Drawing,

To all whom it'may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARENCE A. NASH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Phenolic Resins and Processes. of Making the'Same, of which the following is a specification.

As is well known in this art the phenolic resins (a term employed herein to designate resins prepared by the interaction of a phenol and a methylene-containing body such as formaldehyde, paraform, hexamethylenetetrainine or the like) have a color varying usually from light yellow to brown or red according to the purity of the reagents, the nature of the-condensing agents and other factors. .--For the manufacture of special products it is customary to incorporate dyes or pigments with these resins, or with compositions such as molding mixtures and the like, prepared therefrom. For example black resinuous products, or black molded articles, are prepared by theuse of black dyes, or in some cases of black pigments, as carbon black or the like. I In a similar manner other colors, as red, green, etc., may be produced. Such dyes or pigments haveheretofore been incorporated with the resin or resin mixture before the final hardening operation.

I have found that special advantages, pertaining to the permanence, even distribution and quality of the color, are secured if the coloring matter or dyestulf is introduced into, or preferably developed in the raw materials, or one of them, before the synthesis of the resin. By proceeding in this way I have been able to secure a depth and homogeneity of color not-otherwise attainable. In special cases there exists also .a decided manufacturing advantage. I

Following is a specific illustrative example of the invention as applied to the preparation of jet-black resins, for use either gllclme or in admixture with any of the usual ers:

One molecular proportion or 11101 of phenol or cresol is mixed with a relatively very small proportion, say about, one-twentieth of a mol, of 'furfuraldehyde, and an acid condensing agent (hydrochloric, sul- L furic, oxalic acid or the like) isadded in proportion of about 1% by weigllit of the mass. The mass is boiled thoroug y until it becomes inky black, whereupon the requisite Application filed May 7, 1924. Serial No. 711,745.

amount of formaldehyde is added (preferably about O.6 mol) and the boiling continued until a jet-black resin of the permanently fusible and soluble type results.

This resin, aside from its jet-black appearance, possesses all of the characteristics of the socalled non-reactive phenolic resins, and is further utilized, in any of the ways familiar to those skilled -in this art. Thus,

it may be dissolved in alcholic 'or other solvents and used as a varnish resin; or hexamethylenetetramine may be added to the resin, either before or after. its solution, forming potentially reactive varnishes. Similarly hexamethylenetetramine or other methylenecontaining hardening agents may be incorporated with the non-reactive resin to impart to it the potentially reactive character; 1

a non-reactive resin, a reactive resinmay be made as the initial condensation product by increasing the proportion of methylene reagent to approximately the equi-molecular. ratio to the phenol, using preferably a basic condensingagent, as is now well understood in this art.

I believe myself to be the first to have prepared artificially colored phenolic resins, whether of the non-reactive or reactive types, by a process in which the coloring matter or dye is introduced into or developed in the mass as a step precedent to the synthesis of the resin: and to have demonstrated the technical value of such procedure. Any dye or coloring matter not injuriously affected by the other components of the mixture may of course be developed or introduced therein in accordance'with my invention. While I prefer to develop or synthesize the coloring nfatter in presence of the phenollc body as described in the above specific example, I regard it as within my invention to introduce a preformed dye or dyestuff into the mass, at any operating stage preceding the synthesis of the reactive or non-reactive resin. p

The use of furfuraldehyde as the basis or intermediate of a coloring matter, as described in the foregoing specific example is to be clearly distinguished from the known use of furfuraldehyde as an aldehyde hardresin,- on to harden a phenolic resin other- I w1se,prepared.

I aim: w. 1. Process of preparing homogeneouslycolored phenolic resin compositions, COIDPIIS- ing synthesizing the phenolic resin in. pr esence of a coloring matter; V

2. Process of preparing homogeneously phenolic resin compositions, comprising deaphenolic body, and thereafter preparing a phenolic-resin from said phenolic body.

3. Process of preparing black henolic olic body an furfuraldehyde, the latter in less than resin-forming proportions, and

thereafter preparing a phe}olic resin from said phenolic body.

- 4:. A black phenolic resin composition comprising the reaction product of a phenolic body, a methylene-contaihing reagent,'and

furfuraldehyde,-. the .furfiiraldehyde being combined with the phenolic body in less than resin-formin proportions. veloping a coloring matter in presence of In testimonyw ereof, I aflix my signature.

T 'cLARENoE AfNA'sH. 

